Motion
by Amongst-Azarath
Summary: Drabble 4: Artemis reaches her breaking point after their latest adventure lands them in the hospital.
1. Motion

_Oops. Another Young Justice._

_Super writers block with Teen Titans at the moment, so this popped up. I think I may have been listening to the 'Drive' Soundtrack on repeat for like.. five days when I wrote this. Great film, check it out. However, I'm not super happy with this, but I've been sitting on it for a few days with no improvement, so it's going up. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own YJ, or the beautiful song 'A Real Hero,' which inspired this little piece._

**_Please Read and Review. _**_They make me smile :)._

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><p><em>Motion<em>

The bright city lights blurred slightly as he kept his eyes fixed looking out his passenger side window. The constant change of light to dark and back again was soothing. He wasn't sure why the city lights were so mesmerizing tonight. He presumed because they were managing to keep his mind preoccupied, instead of letting it maul and overthink the night's events. He let his head rest against the back of the cloth seat, still gazing out the passengers' window. He loved the eerie glow that the city held at night. It seemed as if all the lights outlining the city were stained ever so slightly with an ice blue. It was rather prominent tonight too, he noticed. His vision delved into a soft focus as the rows and rows of street lights slowly passed him by.

The car passed a well-lit service station. He narrowed his eyes as the bright lights filled his vision. A moment later it passed and the rims of his eyes relaxed. Light pooled in almost perfect circles on the sidewalk every so many metres apart, cascading down from the bright bulbs housed within the lamp posts. The consistent flashes of light were a procrastinator to his busy thoughts. _Flash._ He switched his sight to the moving image of the Gotham streets before the car. _Flash._ The road ahead was long and laborious, and filled with lights. It reassured him to know that they were still a fair way from Mount Justice_. Flash._ The constant movement of the vehicle also seemed to be helping. He had to keep moving, to keep him from thinking, to keep him from boiling over, to keep him from snapping. _Flash._

The blonde girl beside him in the driver's seat yawned. _Flash._ Her shoulders slumped over toward the steering wheel. Her dark eyes scanned the road lethargically, watching for anything abnormal. She was trying her best for him, he knew. She was fatigued, to say the least. The last few nights had been busy. The list went along the lines of: fires, bank robberies, a bridge collapse and a crazy psychopath who the thought the world would be a better place without factories that produced processed cereals. _Yeah, _he rolled his eyes_._ Not to mention, she and Wally had been fighting more often than usual.

She swiped the back of her right hands across her chapped lips trying to stifle another yawn.

He hoped she would just keep driving, keep the tyres rotating, keep the engine still running, just as long as he was in motion. Anything to keep him occupied. He didn't want to go home just yet. He couldn't. His brooding frustration would keep him from doing anything productive, including sleeping. He could feel pulses of anger evoking inside of him. His eyes narrowed again. He could go out and kick some hard evil arse, but he had an inkling that he might take it too far. The exact thing he had been scolded for a few hours prior. _Flash._

She yawned again. The third time in the last five minutes. He wished she would stop. The constant exhale and inhale of air, and the expansion of her features on her face were irksome. He sighed heavily, trying to calm himself down. He realised he couldn't exactly stop her from yawning. He quashed the urge, deciding it wasn't her he was furious at. He was furious at Bruce Wayne, his mentor, his father, pretty much.

The blonde sent a concerned glance his way, letting her eyes leave the road for moment. "What's up?" she quizzed softly, noting his pissed expression of knotted eyebrows and snarly lips.

She turned her attention back to the road as he looked up, but not at her. "Nothing," the answer was short, sharp and stern, indicating the end of the conversation. He dropped his gaze again and let his mind introvert back into self-loathing.

"Dick," she sighed at his lame attempt to avoid the inevitable conversation. "It's three-thirty in the morning. I didn't drive all the way into Gotham for 'nothing'."

She was right, it wasn't _'nothing'_. It was huge, infuriating, idiotic and downright fucking demeaning. His fists clenched into tight balls, the skin around his knuckles turning a bright white. He just wanted to punch something. It made him even more irate just thinking about it.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She flicked the lever that connected the cars blinkers. The annoying constant ticking of the painstakingly slow signal made him even more frustrated. She turned the car with care, strangely more cautious than she usually drove. Even that was adding to his building cantankerous mood.

"Dick-"

"Artemis, I said I don't want to talk about!" he cut her off with an exploding shout.

She snapped her head to look at him. Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. Her lip twitched slightly, unsure if she should continue to probe the already tetchy superhero. She pursed her lips and a frown crossed her face. She turned her attention back to the dark road in front.

As soon as the words had ripped from his mouth he had regretted them. He reminded himself, again, not to take his anger out on her. She had been gracious enough to pick him up from the Wayne mansion at three in the morning in her little black sports car.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not bothering to look up. He didn't want to see the expression on her face.

"It's alright," she spoke casually, dismissing his aberrant behaviour.

That was it. She didn't need any more than that. Artemis wasn't like that. She'd had her fair share of secrets, if not, slightly more than anyone else he knew, besides his own mentor. He had never questioned her about her past, despite the fact that he already knew most of it. She didn't question him about his either. And that was it. That's how they were. They didn't need to know anything else, just as long as they were both there for support. That was why he decided Artemis was the best choice when it came to late night car trips. After Wally, Artemis was probably the next in line, friend wise. Unlike Wally, she didn't crack inappropriately timed jokes. She would be willing to listen and give some sort of advice, even if it wasn't the most helpful.

Now he felt guilty, like she should know, like she had the right to know. The anger evaporated from his face as it turned into a solemn expression. He sucked his lips between his teeth for a moment. She always did this to him, made him spill out his most inner thoughts. He felt like he always had to tell her what was going on. She was unnerving like that.

"Bruce was.. just…" he trailed off, at a loss for words. He couldn't describe how Bruce had treated him. It was somewhere between disrespectful and –

"Treating you like a teenager?" She empathised, giving him a knowledgeable look.

Dick sighed, leaning an elbow in between the wedge of the window and door beside him. "Pretty much," he rolled his eyes and shifted his weight a little, immediately removing his elbow from the wedge. "He's treating me like I'm a reckless and rebellious teeny bopper," his ocean blue eyes brightened slightly in his frustration. "He's giving me more orders than usual. He's making me sit back and watch," as his thoughts became more erratic the more animated his gestures became. "Then, he has the audacity to give me a half hour lecture during the drive back to the cave about how I need to," he raised his hands and fingers to air quote, "'watch myself." He finally stopped and was somewhat startled; realising that what had just exploded from his mouth was word vomit.

The blonde, not the least bit overwhelmed by the teenager's sudden urge to talk, gave the younger teen another sympathetic look. "He doesn't see you that often anymore, Dick," she tried to conjure some reason within him. "Maybe he's just weird at expressing how much he misses you."

"He told me I was out of control," He blurted out, the anger rising within him making his cheeks flush a light shade of red.

An alarmed frown crossed the archers face. "I don't know, Dick," she shrugged, trying to wipe the frown from her features. "You are getting older," she articulated, "maybe he can't handle it." She narrowed her eyes, keeping a close watch on the passing streets in front of her. "Maybe you're just growing apart."

A deeply concerned expression flooded the younger teens face. _Maybe you're just growing apart. Maybe._ He was fifteen after all, bordering on sixteen. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was struggling with the age. He was still a teenager, but he so desperately wanted to be independent. Bruce had no idea how to handle him. Bruce was never a teenager himself so how could he deal with one? Therefore, Dick was trying to spend less and less time with his father figure and more time with the team of six teenagers, who were much more capable of guiding him through one of the roughest patches of his life.

"Maybe," he spoke softly in reply, thoughtful. It seemed logical now that he had said it aloud. Maybe Batman and Robin were growing apart. Nothing lasts forever, as they say.

His eyes wondered to the blonde. Her face was more awake now, deeply concentrating on keeping the car on the road. He was a little surprised she wasn't driving like her usual reckless self. She was a good driver; she just preferred to be a hoon. It was more exciting, she would always say. He agreed. They often drove together at night. It was their only way of getting away from everything. The constant motion gave them time to think, or as Dick preferred on this occasion, to _not_ think, which he was failing at.

His eyes dropped to her attire. She looked cute. She was wearing really short, white cotton boxers, a baggy black singlet matched with an olive green bra and a pair of black thongs. Her long blonde tresses were tied up in high pony tail. He had obviously woken her up, judging by her choice of bra underneath her black singlet and her messy bed hair. He hadn't meant to wake her so early, but he was desperate. There was no possible way he could spend one more minute at the mansion with Bruce or Alfred.

"Sorry," he apologised again, slowly turning his head to look at her.

She looked at him, deadpanning. "Stop apologising," she rolled her eyes and let her grip on the wheel loosen. "I'm counting on payback when you turn sixteen," She chuckled as a grin played on his lips.

As soon as her chortles died down she spoke again, "you know I'm always here if need me." She sent him a motherly smile and flicked a hand across to the mess up his perfectly set 'do.

He flinched back from the slender hands threatening to noogie his epic hairdo. He crashed his shoulder into the side of the door as she leaned towards him further, one hand still on the wheel. He further pushed his back into the car door, still trying to escape the hand. A smile broke out on his face as she finally pulled her hand away and placed it back on the steering wheel. "I know," he admitted, slightly embarrassed as he hung his head a little and shifted his position back to the middle of his seat.

She kept the same motherly smile. She must've been taking a page out of M'gann's book. He raised his head, turning fully to look at her. "The same goes for you too, Artemis."

Her smile dropped and her face turned serious. She knew exactly what he was talking about. _Wally._ Their relationship had become strained recently due to the sudden crime surge within the city. That meant less time at Mount Justice. It meant less sleeping, less eating.. less everything, including quality time with each other. Instead, heavy onsets of arguing took its place.

Silently she turned her attention back to the streets in front of her, signally the end of that moment.

"I'm serious, Artemis," the young teen pushed further. She nodded her head in compliance. "I know what he's like."

She kept silent, her face still serious. She turned the wheel unusually sharp, the most reckless stunt she had pulled all night. He drew back, realising he had pushed his luck.

He looked through the windshield, trying to get a position on where they were. _Flash. _The comforting flashes of light had come back into mind. He caught sight of a familiar street. They were on their way home.

"Artemis," he called, breaking the tense silence.

"Mm?" the sound reverberated through her lips, ready to shut him down if he were to mention Wally again.

"Can we keep driving for a little longer?"

He liked it when they drove together.

The same warm smile from before returned to her face making her eyes light up. "Sure."

He bit his lip, unsure if he should verbalise his next comment. "And," he began, "can we please drive a little faster?"

She raised her eyebrows in fake astonishment. The look quickly flipped to a grin, flashing her straight white teeth, making feel a little rebellious inside. She pressed her foot harder against the accelerator and he heard the engine roar to life.


	2. Milk

_And I've done it again._

_I should be updating other things! **cough-Reconcile-cough.** But Uni is kicking my arse already, so I needed some stress relief.. and bam, this came out. I wasn't planning to extend this, but I got a whole bunch of ideas lightning bolt into me yesterday that I just smashed out on my lunch break. So we'll see what happens. Mistakes and all the usual stuff. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own the power couple. Oh, did I just say couple?_

**_Read and please review :)._**

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><p><strong><em>Motion<em>**

_Milk._

The middle aged teenager carefully padded his way into the kitchen. He was hungry. He had rolled over in a huff of frustration trying to sleep, despite the boiling temperature of Mount Justice, and discovered his stomach rumbling. Last night had been predicted by bureau to be the hottest night in twenty years. The weather did not disappoint.

The sixteen year old was dressed scantily in a pair of black boxer briefs. He could feel the beads of sweat escaping from the pours on his face. With a slight duck of his head, he swiped the back of his forearm across his forehead. He tried to forget that fact that he had just only temporarily gotten rid of the salty substance by heading for the fridge.

He tugged at the two handles of the double door stainless steel fridge. The doors flew open in his grasp and the blinding light concealed within the fridge left him motionless for a second. The light blinding his vision began to fade and the familiar image of a fully stocked fridge replaced it.

His lips squeezed together pursing. Now the question was: what was he hungry for? His mask less eyes wandered over the numerous items stored on the clear shelves. Left over chicken stir-fry, strawberries, carrots, Greek yoghurt, a half-eaten protein bar – his face contorted. Wally's lack of consideration for keeping things neat and tidy made the young teen wonder why he even felt like food. Maybe a cool beverage would be better.

His eyes switched to the holdings in the door on the right hand side. His eyes scanned the various liquid items. Filtered water, coke, cordial, tomato sauce, lemon butter… where was the milk? He scanned the whole door again. There was definitely _no_ milk. He huffed loudly. He hoped no one had left it out on the bench, otherwise that would mean no milk for breakfast. Well, there would be no milk in general for breakfast whether it was left on the bench or not. The point was there was _no _milk. That would mean disaster. To answer his quarrelsome question, he closed the fridge and turned to his right, getting a spanning look across the whole kitchen.

There was milk, but not where he had expected it to be.

It was grasped in the slender hands of toned blonde sitting on the floor against one of the kitchen cupboards. She had been watching him for a while. A half-hearted smile came to her lips as she shook the milk carton in her hand, signalling that she had what he was looking for. She was slouched over slightly, her right knee bent and supporting the elbow that was connected to the hand with the milk. The other leg was spread out, long, thin, tanned and bare.

His eyebrows dipped into a frown. He didn't think she was a milk fan. Not to mention, parading around openly in her underwear. She was only dressed in a pair of black briefs and a skimpy black singlet.

Then something struck him. He could see something sliding down the edge of cheek, and it wasn't sweat. She hadn't bothered to hide it. There was no point. He was standing right there. His heart sank a little realising what this was about. Cautiously he tip toed towards hers.

Her dark eyes watched him lethargically as he bent down and sat himself opposite her.

His eyes caught her gaze. There were too many emotions swimming around in that look she was giving him. Some that he had never seen before. Another tear escaped the inner corner of her right eye, this time it travelled down the outer edges of her nose and over the mound of her upper lip. Quickly, she ran a wet tongue over where it had been.

He felt rude for staring, but he couldn't help it. She looked absolutely stunning. It was odd how he was finding such beauty in her melancholy state. He frowned.

"Want some milk?"

He kept the same discombobulated frown as she sent out a slow and cautious hand, still gripping the milk carton loosely. His look faded as he reached for the carton, causing his body to lean forward slightly. He wrapped his strong hand around the top of the carton, precisely above hers. Trusting that the tension in his muscles was strong enough to hold the carton, she loosened her grip and let her extended arm drop, flopping to the floor in between in her two legs.

Her eyes dropped to the floor as the teenager brought the opening of the carton to his lips. He tipped the carton, its bottom edging to the ceiling. After four manful gulps of the fresh, cold milk the carton was brought back to its natural position of upright. He could feel the cool liquid pooling in the pit of his stomach. His scrutinizing eyes lingered over the young blonde.

The tears were pouring faster now, every few seconds, spilling down either side of her face. She didn't seem to care for a change. Her gaze shifted slightly to the left. She was thinking, more accurately, remembering. Obviously something had happened between her and Wally, but Dick didn't want to pry. She would tell him in her own time.

He carefully sat the carton on the floor. He was fighting himself, indecisively trying to elect what to do next. She was crying for Christ's sake. For the first time, he was witnessing the toughest girl he had ever met cry. No she wasn't crying. The blonde would never lower herself to that. She was weeping, like a tree that leaks sap, emotionless and silent. You would only notice if you looked hard enough, the small droplets of clear liquid being the only indicator.

Maybe he should probe.

"Artemis…" the younger teen trailed off in his softest voice.

Delicately, her eyes rose and so did her head. She could see the empathetic gaze he was giving her. She felt pathetic. She was crying over something so trivial. It was incredibly petty really. That's what she kept telling herself anyway. The look was so deep, so intense that she dropped her sight to the milk carton on the floor in front of him. She couldn't stand that face. It was so concerned, so caring and so full of compassion. She hated and loved it at the same time. She had received the same look her whole life, haunting her from the moment she began her schooling. The constant sympathetic looks day in and out, because of her upbringing, because of the way she dressed, because of all she _could'v_e been, but wasn't.

However, Dick's look was in every way the same, but different. It was genuine. It was real. It made her feel.. _valued._ It made him look so much more appealing, so much older than he should.

She let her jaw fall open, ready to speak the most inner thoughts plaguing her mind. She shook her head suddenly and clamped her jaw shut. She didn't need to blurt her burdensome troubles upon the aging teen, especially when it involved his best friend.

"Its fine," she tried to reassure him, _and herself_. She kept her eyes low.

"Artemis," he shuffled closer, sliding his barely covered bottom across the floor. "You're crying."

She looked up at him, the anger suddenly flaring within her. Her look turned nasty, the tears still pooling along the bottom lids of her eyes. "I know," she snapped, her face twisting into a scowl.

He didn't back away, but he stopped. Her stare bored into him, but he didn't look away. His ocean blue eyes held the stare, still compassionate and caring. The rage vanished as quickly as it had come. Her expression faded to despair. Why was she letting herself do this? Especially in front of the youngest member of the team.

The thick silence set between them, but neither dared to look away. The moment was too pure to interrupt. She felt like he was reading her, like he could see everything she was feeling. He wasn't studying her; however, he was trying to understand. She had never felt so exposed, so open to being unprotected by her tough shell. It was such a liberating feeling.

He felt as though she were opening up to him in a way she had never done before. She was allowing him to sit and watch her cry. She was allowing him to watch her break, to see that tough exterior finally fade. It was so captivating. So beautiful. He couldn't explain to her how humbled he felt. She was sharing such a vital part of herself that it was rarely ever seen. He wished she could be like this more often, but they both knew she couldn't.

"He can't treat you like that, Artemis," he cooed tenderly, deciding on impulse to move closer.

She swallowed, before shrugging indifferently. "I love –" She cut herself off sharply. She sucked in a breath quickly before letting it escape as a sigh.

She looked at him. A vacant expression crossed her features. For reasons unknown, she wished he would come closer. She needed contact all of a sudden. She wanted something touching her skin. She wanted comfort of a different kind. If her own boyfriend wouldn't touch her, she needed someone who would.

He seemed to sense it, edging even closer. She bowed her head, finally giving in. Her legs met on her left side, tucking underneath one another as her balance shifted onto the back of her right hip joint, allowing the teen to grope her into a warm embrace. She felt herself melt as his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her close to him.

The well-defined muscles of his chest were a reminder of arrogant red head, but they were more built. He was stronger, more so than red head could ever be.

"You're beautiful, Artemis," he murmured softly into her ear.

Her head nestled deeper into the high area of his upper chest and she closed her eyes. That was just what she needed. A small smile graced her lips, as she could feel the last of the pooling tears escape down either side of her face. The image of the teen in the Batman cowl swam through her mind. He would be so much more than Bruce Wayne was as Batman. He would surpass his mentor indefinitely. He was more human than Bruce. He felt deeply, and gave emotionally. That would be his edge.. but also his downfall.

She had let her mind wonder too deep. Slowly and cautiously, she pulled herself backwards, breaking the hug. He removed his well-tones arms from her warm skin and let them slink by his side. He was smiling.

She let a small laugh escape her. Briskly, she wiped away the lose tears with the ends of slender digits. "Late night drive?"


	3. Midnight McDonalds

_Everyone loves a late night trip to Maccy D. (McDonalds for those who are unaware of McDonalds slang)_

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews! They mean a lot :)._

_Disclaimer: Don't own._

_Please, read and review._

_Enjoy :) _

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><p><em>Midnight McDonalds<em>

He gripped the burger wrapped sloppily in white paper tightly with two hands. This was probably the highlight of his day, probably hers too. The fact that McDonalds at 12.34am on a Wednesday morning was the highlight of their day, well the highlight of the last 25 hours, proved it had been a trying day.

Quickly, he flipped the fried burger over to its right side and unwrapped the ugly white paper. It revealed a double cheeseburger, looking nothing at all like what it did in the advertisements. The patties were half hanging out of the piled food, the mayo had been slobbered on, causing it to leak out of the burger and onto the paper, the lettuce was littered all _over_ the burger and the top bun had half slid off. What a masterpiece. He smiled. This is exactly what he expected at this time, a shitty burger that tasted like pure fried, fatty fast food.

He gripped the mess of a cheeseburger as best he could and brought it to his parted mouth. Slowly, he clambered as much burger into his mouth as he could. He was glad they had picked a table towards the back of the restaurant, away from prying eyes watching them disgustingly demolish their double cheeseburgers. He bit down and pulled the burger away, the food pulling apart easily. The taste was beyond amazing – pure greasy fat.

His eyes looked up and finally away from his incredible burger. Blue met grey. "This is amazing," he commented energetically, amongst a mouthful of cheese, meat and bread bun.

The comment brought a smile to her face, and that fact that he was talking with a mouthful of burger. "This was definitely a good decision," she agreed, reaching for her small cup of coke to her right.

Her slender hands wrapped around the cup and she dragged it across the polished table closer towards her. She pursed her lips, only making a small hole for the straw in the cup to slip through. She sucked and dark liquid flew up the white straw and into her mouth. She swallowed a few times. She forgot how good syrup coke tasted – severely underestimated.

He was already half way through his burger by the time she reached for hers. He watched her do exactly what he did, flip the burger the right way up and unwrap the fast food goodness from its ugly packaging. Her burger looked much more beautiful than his, actually kept in line and free of leaking mayo. He paused eating his own burger for a moment, intrigued that the blonde opposite him was actually eating McDonalds. Sure, he had seen her eat unhealthy food before, but not McDonalds, or a burger for that matter. He didn't think burgers were her thing, but he was obviously wrong. However, she made eating a burger look good. Her manners were still intact, chewing slowly with her mouth closed. However, her elbows sat on the table, bent a little less than 90 degrees, holding the burger casually with two soft hands. Her long blonde tresses were slicked back into some sort of messy bun, which suited her, somehow accentuating her Vietnamese look. Her top half was dressed in a tight black, thick strapped black singlet. Below the table she was decked out in some grey baggy crotch sweat pants and a pair of black thongs, her driving shoes, as they were known as, to her and Dick anyway.

She looked up, a few bites into her burger. She raised eyebrow at his thoughtful expression. "Must be a pressing thought if it stopped you half way through your burger," she commented, breaking his train of thought as she took another bite.

He shook his head, his shaggy long dark hair lively flopping around somewhat. A smile graced his lips. "It's just that I've never seen you eat a burger, or McDonalds for that matter," he pointed out, reviving his process of devouring his own burger.

She shrugged casually, her face unimpressed for only a second. "Watching Wally turned me off."

Dick raised his eyebrows for a moment and nodded, fully comprehending what Wally was like with burgers – like Dick was right now, but faster, much faster. He could feel the tension radiating off her, just from mentioning his name. He wasn't ready to push that right now. All he knew is they hadn't talked in two days. He was surprised she was in this good of a mood considering. He frowned, realization kicking in. Maybe that's why she was here, with him, at this time, to get out of an irritated and depressed mood. That's exactly why he was here.

He shoved the last bit of the mayo doused burger into his mouth. A few chewed mouthfuls and it was slipping down his throat and into his starving stomach. He had been with Bruce all afternoon and had spent the majority of his evening trying to avoid seeing Bruce any longer, which meant staying in his room all night without dinner. He had heard Artemis get up twice and on the third time he caught her on the way back to her room, pretty much forcing her to take him for a drive. She was more than happy too though, obviously sick of being cooped up in her room too.

She was halfway through her burger now, obviously enjoying it by the content look on her face. The content look on her face instantly fell when she heard the faint familiar tune of The Killers, Mr. Brightside. It was her phone. They both looked to the small black handbag sitting on the same table to Artemis' left. She scowled for a moment before continuing on with her burger eating. Dick looked at her, apprehensive.

"I can guarantee you its Wally," she said lamely, swallowing her bit of burger. "Stupid prick," she added with a low almost inaudible growl.

He slipped a hand into the opening of her bag, even though he was taught to never go inside a woman's hand bag, Artemis seemed to be cool with it. He found the vibrating and singing iPhone after a short hide and seek match using his hand. He pulled it out quickly, still ringing and pulsating. He tilted the screen slightly so she could see it.

_Wally_.

She rolled her eyes as he let it ring out.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Dick suggested, feebly holding her phone out to her after it had finally silenced.

"No," she answered simply, taking another bite.

A second later the phone began to sing and vibrate again in his unusually clammy hand. He kept it there, subtly suggesting that she should take his call. "Dick, leave it alone," she warned him in a low and dangerous tone, her eyes turning to slits. He sighed, giving up; he didn't need Artemis to be pissed at him too.

She dropped her gaze, knowing that the dark haired teen was keeping a cautious and judgemental eye on her. She knew he thought their fights were petty, stupid and competitive, but it wasn't about winning for her. It was more than that. It was the fact that the red head was trying to save her, when she didn't need saving.

She went for another bite, hopefully trying to silence her thoughts with greasy burger. The bells of her message tone broke the tense silence between the two. She didn't look up. She wanted to avoid any type of Wally stress until morning, so she kept her eyes on the burger. From the corner of her eye she could see her black iPhone slide towards her, Dick's hand pushing it along the polished marble like table. Her storming grey eyes glanced at the screen.

_Answer your phone._

She heaved loudly in frustration, almost hurling her burger back into the paper from which it came in. It crumbled into a catastrophic mess of mayo, lettuce, meat and bun. She gave Dick an icy glare as she swept her phone from his hand quickly and roughly. A few touches later, her phone was at her ear. Her eyes stayed on Dick, still delivering that ice cold glare that she was so good at. The phone rung once. The dark haired teen stayed silent, his expression serious, brows only slightly furrowed, brightening his deep sea blue eyes. The phone ran for a second time. His eyes still held hers but –

"_Artemis,"_ Wally breathed into the phone, calm and pulling her from her stare.

"What do you want?" She retorted sharply, her tone irate mixed with apathy.

"_Where's Dick?"_ he interrogated her, emotionless and blunt. _"Bats wants to know."_

She licked her teeth, the anger boiling deep within her gut. The lack of expression in his voice only added to her pugnacious mood. She had dealt with his shit for the past two weeks. They weren't even on talking terms and he was still, somehow, managing to infuriate her. She wished she could give him a piece of her mind right now, but it wasn't the time or place. Dick was here and Batman could've been listening on the other end. Her face twisted into a scowl, her eyebrows creasing into a deep frown. She was trying to keep herself cool. She looked at Dick, his facial expression discombobulated. He had obviously overheard his mentors name mentioned.

"He's with me," she kept it cool, but venom soaked every word.

"_And where's that?"_ He barked back, matching her malicious tone.

"You don't need to know," her words were sharp and apathetic, before she removed the phone from her ear and hung up.

Dick pursed his lips, slightly uncomfortable. He didn't like being around when the two fought. It was just really weird, considering they were both his good friends. They suited each other, complimented each other, like the yin and yang almost. He knew they were meant to be together – they just couldn't see it right now. He watched as she brushed her hair with both hands, intertwining her fingers amongst all the strands, obviously trying to give herself a moment. Their eyes met – and there it was, that painful look, confirming that it wasn't all anger. She cared more than she let on. She covered it quickly, raising an eyebrow. "Where's your phone?"

"Back at Mount Justice," he replied, trying to ignore the expression on her face that he had just witnessed.

She smiled, tossing her phone back to him. He caught in one hand with ease. "Good," she confirmed, taking control, "we're not going back," she added carelessly, pushing her chair back and standing up. Her smile turned sly as she looked down at him.

He pulled himself to his feet, exposing his lean figure dressed only in a pair of black sweat pants and a white shirt. "Where are we going?" He quizzed, his smile matching hers.

"You'll find out," she said, swiping her hand bag off the table and turning to exit the fast food chain store.


	4. Breaking Point

_Just a little something - nothing major. I gain my life back this year, so I'll have a little more time for this :). Also, mistakes as per usual._

_Disclaimer: Don't own YJ._

**_Read, review and enjoy :)_**

_~Aa_

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_Breaking Point_

He looks to his left and she looks like hell. She's hunched over; her chin rests on her tightly curled fists with her elbows digging into her thighs for support. He's pretty sure she's still shaking, her mind still going through the various stages of shock. She's got pools of blue and black sagging under her eyes from lack of sleep. Patches of red decorate her upper lids and brow bone from all the tears. She's got a faint, forming bruise on her forehead. Her eyes are glassy and bloodshot, her look is alienated, preoccupied with her thoughts. Her lips are chapped and swollen. She turns to him suddenly, surprising him. Her eyes meet his as her hands fall to her lap. The expression on her face is hopeless.

"Twice in two weeks," she manages to croak out. "Bats is going to have my head."

He smiles softly, trying to be reassuring. "I'll be right there with you," he rolls his eyes as his expression and tone turns defeated, "don't you worry."

She smiles a little, something he hasn't seen all day. Something he only sees a couple of times a week now, he realises. She looks so beautiful when she smiles. Suddenly the smile disappears, long before it should've. Her eyes look away for a moment, leaving him confused. Then he can seeing it happening.. she's cracking right in front of him. He's already seen it once today, and he's not sure if he can take it again. Her hand reaches out to his face and he can't move. He wants to look away, but she's holding his gaze. Her eyes feel like they're piercing his soul. He feels completely exposed and it's making him extremely uncomfortable. He's trying so hard to hide how he's really feeling. He sucks in a breath as her delicate hands tentatively touch the skin around his forming black eye. She breaks eye contact with him as her attention is taken by the injury. His expression stays firm as he lets his breath slowly escape from his mouth. She takes his stare again and her blank expression is replaced with something between agony and sadness. "I'm so sorry, Dick," she whispers.

He closes his eyes for a second, trying to block her face from view. He can't take it. It's making his heart ache. He lets her touch take over his senses, hoping the feeling will pass. Her fingers are so soft and gentle, but shaky. As soon as he composes his thoughts his eyes are open again, his expression unchanging. "Stop apologising," his voice is barely above a whisper.

Then it begins all over again, he can see the tears pooling in her eyes. She turns her body fully towards him, her right leg rises, sliding sideways to rest on the seat. Her other hand touches the other side of his face, cupping it, and he's completely bewildered. "Why aren't you angry at me?" the question is delivered in pure honesty, at the top of her vocal register. He can see that she's trying so hard to keep it together, but she can't see that it's already too late. She was already in pieces a long time ago.

His expression softens, and the question is genuine, "Why should I be?"

She doesn't even need to think about it, "because everyone else is." Something inside him flickers, and she can see it. The anger inside him boils as his eyebrows furrow and his jaw tightens. They both know she means Wally, and he can't express how furious it makes him. He was destroying her, and it was getting harder and harder to just sit on the sidelines and watch.

The tears are sliding down her cheeks now and he realises he needs to pull himself into line. His face softens as his anger fades. "You haven't done anything wrong, Artemis."

She smiles a little again as her hands drop from his face, "I'm not so sure anymore."

He doesn't let her pull back, instead his body impulsively lurches forward, his toned arms enveloping her into a hug. He pulls her in tight, ignoring the twinge of pain in his shoulder. "I could never be angry at you."

Her arms wrap tightly around him, like she was never going to let go. "Dick," she struggles to whisper into his ear. He pulls his arms tighter around her and closes his eyes. He hears her suck in a breath, "I haven't heard that in such a long time." His eyes snap open as she chokes on a sob. His expression fades into anguish. He can't even begin to describe how depressed and distressed it makes him feel seeing her sob in front of him. He's about to choke up but she jerks away from him suddenly. Surprised for a moment, he checks himself, but it's too late, she already caught the look.

She smiles, both her hands whipping to eyes, hurriedly brushing away all the tears with shaky palms. She goes to laugh, but it kind of comes out as a choked cackle. He smiles, baring his pearly whites. She wipes her nose with the back of palm; the smile stays. "Thanks, Dick."

She turns away from him, her leg sliding back off the seat and meeting its counterpart. He's still smiling but hers fades, "I'm always here, Artemis."

She nods in reply, her mind already far off. He swallows as his smile fades too. Her eyes are already glazed over, already lost in the mental battle with her mind. He looks up, trying to search for something to indicate the time, but he spots something else.

He sees Bruce coming from a distance, at the end of the hall. He preps himself; it was going to be one long night at the Mount Justice. He could predict the lectures, the yelling, multiple threats and probably another week of grounding.. no missions and no leaving Mount Justice – no, actually it would probably be the Cave this time. Beside him strides Oliver Queen, in plain civilian clothes, nodding at the doctor failing to keep up with their fast strides. On the other side of Bruce is Wally. Dick nudges Artemis beside him with an elbow. She's already guessed who it is, as she looks towards the end of the hall. He can see her visibly stiffen and her face harden. She's ready for round two. Her eyes track them as they swiftly walk down the hall.

Dick gets to his feet as the troupe of three near. Bruce looks surprisingly calm, as does Oliver. Wally is the complete opposite. Artemis lethargically follows Dick's movements and gets to her feet.

"Artemis!" the read head sounds relieved as he rushes towards her.

"Dick, are you alrig-" Bruce attempts to probe his protégé, but the young adult's attention is elsewhere. The billionaire follows the younger boys line of vision to the sight beside him.

Wally's arms are wrapped the blonde but she's not reciprocating. She pulls away quickly, leaving the red head completely baffled. Her face is blank as she looks to Dick before turning and making her way down the hall. Wally's look fades to devastation, "Artemis?" He calls after her, but she doesn't respond, in fact, she doesn't even turn or stop.

Oliver looks to Wally, then to Dick before giving Bruce a cryptic look. It's out in the open now. There's tension within the team and it could change everything.


End file.
